


Discovering the Unknown - A Guide to Henry Lawson

by star_angels



Category: Royal Pains
Genre: Boris is slowly falling in love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Illnesses, M/M, Slow Burn, Smart Hank, Threats of Violence, but not rn, dark Hank, eventual slash, hank centric, ill add tags as i go, inaccurate descriptions of cooking, it's really tame, sorta??, ungraphic depictions of PTSD, ungraphic depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:11:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9090979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_angels/pseuds/star_angels
Summary: Everyone is multifaced, Hank more so than others. It takes a while, but between the years, his friends and family have managed to slowly learn what has been behind his mask all along, although none of them are truly sure if they will ever see everything behind the facade he puts on. Despite this, they treasure every new piece of information they are given as if they were gifts, because really, that’s what they were.A series of related one shots where Hank’s true face is slowly but surely shown to those closest to him.





	1. Snow in The Hamptons (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thewolfatyourdoor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewolfatyourdoor/gifts).



> I do not own the characters of this or the TV show Royal Pains, although I wish I did sometimes. The setting will generally be in the winter, as there isn’t much of that shown in the show. The one shots can be read in order or not, it’s up to you. There isn’t much of a chronological order due to how disorganized I generally am. Added in there will probably be some Hank/Boris because I just can’t help myself and I’m honestly trash. If you find any mistakes or errors please tell me. I don’t have a beta. 
> 
> P.S. I am open to suggestions for future chapters and please feel free to contact me through the comments or my tumblr, royalpainsandsuch.

This was the first time in a while Boris had stayed at Shadow Pond in the winter months, he had come back last week from a business trip to find his property covered in a light dusting of snow. It was well past tourist season and the streets of the town were quite vacant, which was part of the reason why Boris had decided to stay, he was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of people surrounding his other residents. Sure, he could go practically anywhere he wanted, but there were only so many places he could go where he felt truly safe. Shadow Pond was one of the most protected places he could be. 

What he wasn’t counting on however, was the fact that the light dusting of snow could turn into something so much more. Looking out his window, he could see that the ground held more snow than it had the day before. They had to have at least half a foot at this point, it made him somewhat gleeful. While he had encountered many snowy winters as a child, later in life he decided simply to stay in warmer climates. 

Dieter pulled him from his musings, “Sir, Doctor Lawson is at the door, I tried to send him up, but he insisted that you come down to meet him.”

Nodding to Dieter before saying, “Thank you,” both men made their way down the stairs and towards the main entry way. 

Whatever Boris was expecting, it certainly wasn’t to see Hank, dressed from head to toe in what seemed to be winter gear, dripping water onto the mat next to the door. He now understood Hank’s reasoning for not coming fully inside. Boris took note of Hank’s rosy cheeks and bright eyes. 

Smiling at Boris, the doctor asked, “The hill leading to the tennis courts, can we use it as a sled hill?”

Stepping up to the man at the door and blinking a few times in confusion, Boris answers, “You.. are asking permission to go sledding?”

Hank nods, “Yes, Evan talked me into it and I happen to have a few kid patients who have been looking for a good sled hill to use. I know how you like to generally keep things quiet around here when you aren’t throwing your annual parties, so I thought I’d ask first.”

Listening to Hank’s explanation avidly, Boris’ lips twitch up in a small smile at Hank’s consideration. “Of course. You are free to use any of the facilities here or use any part of the property as you see fit, I’m sure you won’t go too overboard.”

Hank was almost beaming at Boris as he says, “Thank you,”

Boris nodded as Hank started putting on the gloves he held in his hand. Hank turned around and went through the door that Dieter had opened, throwing over his shoulder, “You are free to come too, Boris. We have extra sleds.”

\----------

Hank walked back to the guest house and informed Evan that they could start calling parents of the kids who lived here all year round. At first, Hank had blown off his brother’s idea, but then he thought of all the fun the kids around here could have. 

The Rucker family had two boys who he had as patients about a week ago. They got bored being stuck inside and decided to try a high balancing act on their banister. They were lucky that the only injury was bruised skin and egos. However, the main problem wasn’t the kids, it was their boredom. So, he figured that giving them something to do would be beneficial.

As it was only about 20 degrees Fahrenheit out, Hank had given everyone specific instructions on how everyone should dress, and within the hour he had five kids between the ages of 9 and 12, along with Tucker and Libby who were insistent that they only wanted to watch Hank crash into the snow. 

Divya had promised him that she would take any calls and would alert him if there was an emergency, but she was still standing inside the guest house with a hot cup of coffee, watching with a smile as Hank and Evan tried to tell the kids the proper ways of sledding. All of the parents stood with her and talked amongst themselves, with similar hot beverages in their hands. 

“Okay, first off, no one steer towards the trees.” Evan said with a straight face.

“And if you are heading somewhere you don’t want to go, you can always bail out.” Hank added with a grin before handing each kid their sled, “Oh, and don’t run over the people trying to get back up the hill, in case that was unclear.” 

The Rucker kids, Stephen and Drake, looked disappointed at this new rule, even though they both nodded in agreement. 

Stephen and Drake went first on the same sled, giggling and screaming all the way down before walking to the other side of the hill to start walking up. Both Evan and Hank could hear them arguing on why Stephen had to be the one to drag the sled behind him. 

The three other kids, Madison, Jamie, and a kid who insisted on being called Luke Skywalker, followed after on separate sleds, seemingly having the time of their lives. 

Boris looked upon the figures gliding fast down the hill from his second story office, wondering if he should have taken up Hank’s offer just to surprise the good doctor. He saw Hank and Evan arguing on the hill while the kids kept sliding down, he was sure their argument had something to do with how Hank hadn’t sled down the hill yet, while Evan had gone an upwards of a half dozen times. 

Boris looked with interest as Hank threw his hands up and grabbed a sled sticking up from the snow before grudgingly sitting down on it. Boris watched with a smile on his face as Hank sped down the hill further than the others had gotten, Hank stood up and put his hands up in the air as he yelled something unintelligible. 

Keeping the image of a smiling doctor in his head, Boris turned back to sit at his desk and continue his work.


	2. Snow in The Hamptons (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, to be fair, next week where I live the high temperature will be in the negatives because of some stupid cold front and I’m 100% fine with this. It is a common enough occurrence for me to know how to not freeze to death, however I’m guessing that someone who lives in the Hamptons isn’t going to have the same kind of protective clothing as I have… Also, I have like no medical knowledge besides what I can quickly skim from our dear friend, google, sooooo

The next time Hank showed up at Boris’ doorstep, the snow had gotten worse and most of the Hamptons had been caught in a nasty blizzard with powerful winds. The power had been turned out, but Boris’ backup generators had started up almost immediately. Boris was just about to retire to bed when Dieter had once again informed him of who was coming through his door, although this time Hank hadn’t waited patiently at the entryway like he had last time. Hank was jogging to meet him as he made it to the bottom of the stairs. Boris quickly noted that Hank’s face was flushed yet again, but his eyes held an urgent look in them and he had his medical bag in gloved hands. 

Without saying greetings, Hank stated, “I need something that can get me to a patient, I don’t have a vehicle that can get me through the storm.” 

Boris gave a quick nod as he replied, “As I am not usually here in the summer, I do not have any. I am sorry, Hank.” 

Hank nodded and said, “Okay, as soon as I get to her, I’ll bring my patient back here because our generators aren’t working.”

The doctor strode away to the front door, Boris following him and matching step for step, “How will you reach your patient, Hank? It is dangerous to be outside right now.”

As they reached the door Hank replied with determination, “I know what I’m doing and I’ll be back soon.” 

With that, the doctor opened the door and stepped out into the cold blizzard, leaving Boris to feel the residual cold and stare at the puddles on his floor with concern in his heart. 

\----------

Hank met back with Evan and Divya who had been waiting out the blizzard at the guest house. Striding through the doorway and stating with authority, “Boris still has power, but nothing we can use to get through the roads. Evan, help Divya bring medical supplies to the main house, Boris knows you’re coming. It will take me a while to get to Lyndsey, but if I don’t come back in the next two hours, send someone for help.”

As he was talking, Hank was opening the closet and rummaging around until he pulled out the largest sled they had used last week. 

Divya nodded with concern, knowing that there really weren’t many other options. Evan on the other hand started arguing immediately, “Hank! What are you thinking? You aren’t some cop or something, let them handle this!”

About ready to head out the door again, Hank said with strain, “There are no other options, the phones are down, and we are closer to the patient than the police station is. There is no one else who can get there on time.” 

Evan looked ready to argue again, but Divya held him back while Hank left through the door with the sled that now held his medical bag, leaving Evan and Divya to collect the things they needed and put on more clothes before heading to the main estate. 

\----------

The cold air stung his lungs like barbs as it was blown into his face by the frigid wind, his eyelids blinking to try and cover his oversensitive eyes. Lowering his head and keeping the headlamp he had on pointed towards the ground, Hank trekked forward with determination in every quickened footstep. He had about twenty more minutes to make it to where Lyndsey said she was. 

Lyndsey had called Hank and told him that she couldn’t see, but vaguely knew where she was and how the weather was getting progressively worse. Hank was about to call the police and maybe some other people in town when the power shut off. Hank knew that the temporary blindness was likely caused by toxoplasmosis, which usually causes no symptoms in adults, but in Lyndsey’s case, caused temporary blindness due to her compromised immune system from an infection she had. Hank had told her to hunker down as best she could and not move. She would only get herself more lost if she tried to get out of the storm while blind. 

Currently, Hank was scanning the frozen beach every so often to look for her, hoping that he could find her soon. 

Slowing his steps so he would hear Lyndsey if she replied to him, Hank raised his voice in a yell, “Lyndsey!” 

Focusing on his surrounds, he faintly heard someone yell back over the sound of the wind whipping around his ears. Hank yelled again as he tried to go after the faint sound he heard, looking up and around as the snow pelted into his half-covered face. 

After hearing nothing but the wind, the crunch and plunk of his footsteps, and the slide of the sled behind him, he finally heard another yell. This time, thankfully louder. He ran towards the sound as fast as he could manage with the snow dragging him down. After looking around wildly with his headlight shining every which way, he saw her hunched over near a tree next to the beach. 

Reaching her, he called loudly and out of breath, “Lyndsey, this is Hank, I’m here to get you back to somewhere safe.”

Lyndsey nodded and gave a nervous, “Okay,” as she lifted her unseeing eyes in the direction of the voice she heard. 

Hank squatted down to where she was and started to examine her. She was shivering, but not aggressively, and her lips were a healthy color of pink instead of the blue he was expecting. He was incredibly glad that she dressed well before going out. 

“Lyndsey, I know what’s causing your blindness and I know how to get you better, you seem fine at the moment beyond that, but please tell me how you feel. Any tingling or loss of sensation anywhere?”

Lyndsey replied as best as she could over the loud wind, “No, I just can’t see, Hank.”

Hank nodded before saying, “All right, I’m going to carry you on the sled so we can get back faster, it’ll be too hard for me to guide you through the snow in the dark.”

Hank moved his medical bag out of the sled and onto the snow as Lyndsey gave a quiet “Okay,” and let Hank lead her to the sled where she laid back. The sled sunk from the added weight as Hank guided her gloved hands to the handles. He got out the space blanket he had brought in his bag and pulled it around Lyndsey and secured it under her body so it wouldn’t blow away in the wind. Lastly, he put his medical bag on her lap and told her to hold it while he pulled her. 

Knowing that it would be easier for him to drag her in already compacted snow, Hank pulled her in the path that he had made on the way there with the sled. Hank paid no heed to his muscles straining as he pulled her behind him or the way the rope of the sled dug into his fingers despite the layer his gloves provided. 

\----------

Boris, Evan, Divya, and Dieter waited in the downstairs living area that was closest to the door, preparing for Hank to come back. Evan was pacing around the room, muttering about his idiot of a brother, while Divya reorganized the medical equipment that she had already reorganized twice now. 

Boris was simply sitting in the chair closest to the door, with a forced calm and his hands in a steeple over his lap. He thought back to how Hank had come in earlier and how he should have gotten the doctor to agree to one of his security going with him. It was dangerous to be alone in such weather, but Boris knew deep down that Hank wouldn’t have let anyone else go with him. His stubborn doctor would have insisted that no one else needed to be risked by going out. 

They had about thirty minutes before they would somehow plan a rescue mission of sorts, Boris knew that his men could go out and find Hank, but he didn’t want to do anything before he gave Hank a chance to come back on his own. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he acted prematurely, he could end up getting his men hurt. However, it didn’t make him feel any less helpless. Boris was not used to having this feeling about other people and he has found that he hates it.

With a loud thump from the door and the sound of someone trying the handle, everyone rushed to the entryway. 

Evan swung open the door while Divya and Boris helped a snow-covered Hank inside with a woman on the sled being pulled behind him. Hank fumbled to turn his headlamp off while being pushed into the castle. 

The snow piled in through the door as Hank pulled the sled onto the tiled flooring. Dieter and one of Boris’ security managed to close the door as Hank spoke with a hoarse voice while trying to help Lyndsey up, “Divya, she needs to be warmed up, give her Ampicillin or whatever Z-Pack we have with us, the infection should be worse now that she’s been in the cold so long.” 

Boris noticed that both Hank and the woman named Lyndsey were shivering so he tried to get Hank to sit back for a while, “Hank, your PA can handle this for the moment. You must also get warmed up.”

Hank nodded before walking after Divya and Evan as they moved Lyndsey to the living room in front of the lit fireplace. Boris ordered Dieter to go get more blankets before also moving to the living area.

Now standing in front of the fire and dripping melted snow everywhere, Hank tried to pull his coat and other layers of clothing off, only to stop with a wince at his protesting muscles. 

Divya looked up from where she was crouched down with Lyndsey and said, “Boris, help Hank as best you can until I’m done with Lyndsey.”

Trying to lighten the mood somewhat, Evan said, “Dude, you kinda look like the abominable snowman,” while Boris tried to get Hank to sit in front of the fire next to Lyndsey. 

Hank protested at Boris’ insistent hand on his shoulder, mumbling, “’m fine, Boris,” before allowing himself to be lead to the floor to sit crisscrossed while Boris sat on his haunches behind him. 

Noticing that Hank was shivering worse than he was when he first walked in, Boris worked behind Hank to pull his coat off. Hank grimaced in pain as his overworked shoulder muscles were pulled back, but managed to not make a sound as the coat was taken off his arms. Immediately, Boris saw Hank’s sweat soaked shirt and how the cool air on his damp skin made the doctor shiver more. 

Boris pulled at the bottom hem of the doctor’s shirt and started pulling it up as Hank bit his lip in pain at having to move his arms up. Throwing the shirt to the side, Boris held his hand out while Dieter gave him a blanket, which Boris promptly wrapped around the shivering doctor. 

Hank closed his eyes in exhaustion at having to trudge through the snow for such a long period of time. Noticing Hank sway and his eyes close, Boris put his hand on Hank’s blanket clad shoulder and gently pushed him to get the stubborn doctor to lie down. Meeting no resistance in his movements, he became slightly concerned. Boris grabbed a decorative pillow from the couch next to them and put it on the floor under Hank’s head. 

Boris tuned out what Evan and Divya were saying next to him as he worked on removing Hank’s wet boots and snow pants from under the blanket that was wrapped around him. 

Taking the boots off was easy, but as Hank had instinctively curled in on himself, it was harder to remove the snow pants. Boris had to straighten the doctor out before he could drag the material from Hank’s slim waist. Throughout it all, Hank seemed to sleep. Boris was worried, but he knew that after all that Hank had just done to save his patient, he must be extremely tired. 

Boris looked up as Divya moved next to them both and put her hand on Hank’s forehead. “He’s still colder than I’d like, but there’s not much else we can do except give him something warm to drink.” Boris nodded towards Dieter who was awaiting instruction behind him and the man left the room to go get hot tea from the kitchen. 

Divya tried to wake Hank up by gently pushing on his shoulder and lightly saying, “Hank, I need you to wake up so I can ask you some questions.”

Hank opened his eyes blearily before closing them again, “Don’t have hypothermia, Divya. My movements aren’t clumsy, I’m fairly certain my judgement is intact, I’m cold, but my skin is starting to flush pink ‘n I can feel all my fingers and toes, so no frostbite either.”

Divya patiently answered, “That’s not all I was worried about, Hank. I saw you in pain when you tried to take off your coat, my best guess is that you strained more than a few muscles pulling Lyndsey in the sled, and while it is admirable that you insist on being fine, I can tell you are lying.”

Hank opened up his eyes again and defiantly stared at Divya who was hovering above him. 

Divya continued, “Let me give you something for the inflammation and pain and maybe drink something hot. Then, I’ll let you sleep. Although not on this hard floor, preferably in a warm bed somewhere.” 

Boris nodded his head before saying, “There is a fireplace in my room upstairs and in one of the guest rooms down here, both have been lit.”

Dieter came back with two pots of steaming tea and multiple cups on a platter and laid them down between where Hank and Lyndsey were at. Evan, who still sat by Lyndsey talking to her, poured a cup for her and put it in her hands. 

Hank pushed himself up on shaking arms and sat up again, while Boris poured some of the tea into a cup and Divya went to grab the medication Hank needed. Hank tried to grab for the tea that Boris held, but Boris moved it away saying, “Hank, your hands are much too unsteady, let me.”

The doctor looked unhappy about it, but nodded nevertheless. He simply wasn’t used to people doing such things for him, even when he was ill. Boris moved the cup to Hank’s mouth to allow the man to take sips of the hot beverage and Hank’s face flushed from more than just the cold he felt. 

Coming back from getting the medication, Divya knelt and placed two tablets into Hank’s hand, who shakily raised them into his mouth before Boris raised the tea to his mouth again and let him take sips to swallow the pills. 

Satisfied that both Hank and Lyndsey were well enough to be moved, Divya said, “Boris, would you mind if Lyndsey used your guest room and Hank used your room for the night? I don’t want Lyndsey walking up the stairs, but I want both of them to have the extra warmth of the fireplaces.” 

Boris nodded before telling Dieter to lead Lyndsey to the guest room, Evan following quietly behind. Both Divya and Boris helped to get Hank off the ground, his complacency telling them how bad he truly felt. The pair lead him up the stairs and to Boris’s room where he was laid down on a king’s size bed with multiple pillows. As soon as he hit the bed, Hank curled in on himself once again and tried his best to burrow under the covers with his eyes closed. Divya moved some of the pillows off of the bed to give Hank more space while Boris pulled the covers around Hank and tucked them in around him. 

From where Hank had half his face mushed into the bed he mumbled with his eyes closed, “Sorry for taking your bed, Boris.”

Boris replied quietly, “It is quite all right, Hank. It is of no consequence.” 

Hank nodded slowly before succumbing to the sleep his body so readily needed. 

Divya once again checked Hank’s head as Boris stood out of the way, “He’s much warmer now, I’d like to come check up on him in the morning, but for now I have to monitor Lyndsey’s infection.” 

Nodding, Boris replied, “There are guest rooms for both you and Evan as well, all you have to do is ask Dieter or one of the security and they will take you to them.”

Grateful for a warm place to sleep after such a stressful night, Divya thanked Boris before leaving the room to go check on Lyndsey. 

Boris stayed in the room and simply looked at Hank for a bit, letting his concern for the man abate. Boris turned off the lamp next to Hank’s bed before making his way to the guest room directly next to where Hank slept, he wanted to make sure that he was close by incase Hank needed something throughout the night. 

Inching his way into bed, Boris thought of how he saw Hank through a new light after tonight. He now knew how much Hank was truly willing to do for his patients, even at the cost of his own well-being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the first two chapters were okay and I hope y’all have a happy New Years. I'll probably try and go through this for a fourth time in the morning to see if there are any more errors in it, but again, if you see any spelling or grammar errors please feel free to tell me.


	3. Beyond the Call of Charity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a badly written accent.

There was still a chill in the air when Boris had asked for a checkup from Hank. He had no reason to suspect anything new that was wrong with himself, but he knew that Hank liked to try and earn his keep, even if Boris kept insisting that he was a guest at Shadow Pond. 

Hank was lead to Boris’ office by Dieter and soon got to work. While Boris was sometimes annoyed by the lengths of which Hank was willing to go to for his patients, he admired Hank’s dedication and love for his work. He just wished that the doctor would not so readily risk his life for such endeavors. 

After Hank was done poking and prodding at him, Boris offered Hank a drink and even though it was early in the morning, Hank was polite enough to accept. 

Sitting in a chair across from Boris’ desk, Hank gathered his probably very expensive scotch and shuffled a little in his seat before asking, “Would you mind going to Jill’s charity function for her free clinic? I know it’s not your type of thing, but your presence would definitely attract the attention of some of the more elite people here who we’ve been trying to get on board.”

Sitting back in his chair, Boris tilted his head to the side in consideration, he had already been asked by Ms. Casey to attend, but he doubted that Hank knew that Boris was already one of the main benefactors for the free clinic. After all, he had been promised extreme discretion in return for his money. 

Feeling slightly impulsive, Boris nodded, “I will consider your offer, Hank.” Boris has found that it is much harder than he would have liked to say no to Hank. 

Hank nodded with a smile on his face as he stood from his chair and left the room, Dieter opening the door for him on his way out. 

\----------

“Okay, Henry, what tie should I wear? Boris is going to be there so I have to look like a professional.” Evan asked loudly while walking between his room and the bathroom in the guest house. 

“Ev, it doesn’t matter what your tie color is, just hurry or we’re going to be late. Jill told us to get there ten minutes before the function starts. Also, Boris probably won’t show up, I told you that already.” Hank replied just as loudly from the kitchen, where he’d been waiting for the last ten minutes for Evan to get ready. He was originally just going to wear what he had worn to work today, but Evan had convinced him to put on the one and only suit he owned. 

Evan finally started coming down the stairs of the guesthouse, “Don’t get your panties in a knot, Henryeta, we aren’t going to be late.” 

Hank rolled his eyes at his brother as he followed him out the door. 

\----------

Evan and Hank walked into the charity function through the back door to meet up with Jill. Hank was honestly surprised that Jill had been able to score such a high-priced place to hold the fundraiser, the main room could comfortably fit many people and there were tables and a buffet set up. 

Taking notice of Hank’s baffled look, Jill asked cheerfully, “Impressive, right?”

Hank smiled while Evan answered, “Dude, this place looks great. How’d you manage to steal it for the function?”

“The owner and I had a fling forever ago and he’s doing all of this, only for the one night though. I wanted to ask him to do this a few more times, but I knew that was pushing it.” Jill replied while continuing to show them both around. 

Hank chuckled, “Must have been some fling, I hope that tonight goes well for your clinic, Jill.”

Jill nodded and gave thanks before showing them where they could wait for a few minutes until the other people started showing up. 

\----------

By the time people were arriving, Jill was officially freaking out. The entertainment for the night hadn’t shown up yet and the only answer she was getting from their manager was that they had broken up or had some fight. They were a classical band, not a rock band! They should be here, and yet they weren’t. Jill had no idea what she was going to do. People needed some type of entertainment at these things or else they were going to leave. 

\----------

Hank saw the vaguely familiar faces of Boris’ body guards around the room before he saw the man himself. He had to admit, he didn’t think he would be seeing Boris tonight, not that it was an unpleasant surprise. 

The moment Boris walked in, almost everyone who was amicably chatting lowered their voices a degree or two. It was kind of funny to Hank, who sometimes forgets that other people see Boris in a very different light than he does. Even to him, Boris is very secretive person but he’d like to think that they are at least heading on their way to something similar to friendship. 

Hank nodded politely as Boris made his way to where he was standing with Tucker and Libby. As a greeting, Hank said with a small smile, “I didn’t think you’d come, Boris. 

Boris nodded before replying, “Da, I suppose even I have to leave my estate every once and a while.” Boris discreetly took note of Hank’s well-fitting suit and silently gave his approval. 

Boris shook hands with both Tucker and Libby as they exchanged greeting, “So, you’re Boris, it’s good to meet you,” Tucker said. 

Boris noticed how both of Libby and Tucker, who appeared under the age of 21 were comfortably holding flutes of what looked to be champagne. 

Before Boris could make comment of it, Jill Casey and Hank’s younger brother, Evan, were striding up to them. As soon as the pair realized that Boris was there, their demeanor changed. Smiling, Jill stated, “I wasn’t aware you were going to be joining us tonight, thank you for coming.” 

Boris nodded as a reply and noticed how anxious both Evan and Ms. Casey were. Soon enough, Jill was whispering in Hank’s ear and Evan was grabbing his brother’s arm in an attempt to lead him somewhere else. 

Hank didn’t look happy, but he said to the group, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to excuse me.”

Boris thought that perhaps there was a medical emergency, but he continued mingling with people throughout the room. He had a reputation to uphold after all. If he was going to be here, he might as well make the most of it. The benefit was definitely more upscale than what he had imagined it would be and he was slightly impressed with Ms. Casey’s ability to come up with such things. 

\----------

Hank was flustered and more than a little baffled at the turn of events that awaited him once Jill and Evan had finally bullied him into a side room that looked suspiciously like a fancy supply closet. 

As soon as everyone got settled in the dimly lit room, Jill started talking almost frantically, “Look, Hank. I was trying to find a replacement band, but all of them are already booked for the evening. That’s when I ran into your brother who told me you could play instruments. I mean, besides the fact that all I can do is partially play the glockenspiel, I can’t be up there because I’m the one who’s supposed to be hosting the event.” 

Trying to calm Jill down more than anything, Hank replied, “Jill, I’m here as a friend and as a doctor, I can’t be here as a musician, just calm down and we’ll figure something else out.”

This seemed to wind Jill up even more, “Hank, there are no other options. I’ve run out of ideas. I need you to do this or people are going to get bored and leave. You don’t have to play the whole time, just give us something to listen to in the background and I will compensate by expanding my opening speech or something.” 

Jill was waving her hands around in her long-winded persuasion, expressing how troubled she really was. Evan followed up, “Henry, we both know that you can at least play the piano really, really well, and I’m pretty sure you can play more than that. Even though you used to try and hide it, I still overheard how the school music teacher would praise you whenever we ran into her at the store.”

Caught almost completely off guard, Hank stammered out, “Ev, you must not have remembered it right. I’m honestly not that great, which explains why I’m a doctor and not a musician. Jill, I don’t know what to tell you. Do you even have any instruments here? What would I even play?”

Hank honestly hadn’t thought about playing any instruments ever since he started medical school, which was ages ago. Even though sometimes he missed the way he could get lost in what he was playing. His mother used to love music and listening to people play. When Hank wasn’t working or studying for school, he was sneaking in to the local Guitar Center and teaching himself how to play whatever instruments they had. Personally, he was most fond of the keyboards and the piano. 

Now that he looked back on it, the manager of the store, Mrs. Kennedy, a sweet middle aged lady that eventually got Hank a job at the store, probably knew that he was sneaking in and purposely left some of the instruments off the shelves. 

Hank was pulled from his musings by Jill speaking, “We have all the instruments that the original band was going to play, can you just please take a look at them and see what you could use?”

Both Jill and Evan were looking at Hank with something akin to hope and expectation and Hank was forced to fold and say, “All right, fine. I’ll see what I can do. Although, I’m warning you, I’m not that good and if I make a fool out of myself, I’m making you both buy me lunch for a year.” 

Evan let out a smile and gave Hank a pat on his shoulder before saying, “I knew you’d come through big brother,” while Jill let out a relieved sigh.

\----------

Hank was really starting to regret saying yes. He knew he couldn’t back out now, no matter how much he wanted to. At least he would be set up in the corner of the large room, where a grand piano already sat. It seemed a waste to put such a beautiful piano in the corner, but the center of the room was the main attraction point where there was a slightly elevated stage at which speeches and announcements were said. 

As Hank was walking over to the piano with his brother trailing behind him like a lost puppy or something similar, he noticed that Jill had thought to print him out sheet music of some sort. Hank really hadn’t thought of that with how nervous he was getting, but he knew his hands wouldn’t shake, no matter how unsettled he was feeling. After all, he was a doctor. 

Hank sat down on the bench in front of the piano and took a deep breath and let it out when he noticed that the many people in the room were more focused on their conversations than on him. Evan was patiently standing beside him. “You’re gonna do great, dude. I’ll be close by if you need anything,” Evan hesitantly trailed off. 

Hank nodded as Evan left his side and started looking through the sheet music that Jill had gotten him. First, he saw, “Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14 (Arr. for Piano).” He really wished he had someone on Cello to accompany him, as the piece was originally intended, but he would make due. He guessed he would just go in order through the pieces. He was pretty sure that Jill had only printed out Classical music, but he kind of wished she had gotten him some Jazz, although Hank thought this probably wasn’t a Jazz music type of place. 

Deftly playing the first three notes, testing to see how in tune the piano was, Hank hummed in appreciation when he found that someone had obviously spent a great length of time making sure the piano sounded almost perfect. 

As Hank truly started playing, slowly at first; trying to ease his way into the song, he learned that he had actually retained the ability to play. Although, he really had no idea how well he was playing considering he never had a proper teacher, but he relaxed a little and began to play more freely. 

He occasionally had to turn through the pages of what he was playing, but his vague memory of having played this piece before helped him greatly. Other than that, he was entirely focused on feeling the music as it flowed through his body and stained the room around him with the sound.

To Hank, this song had always been more than a little depressing, but he couldn’t help but feel exhilarated at playing again. He had forgotten how much he used to ache to play sometimes. Maybe that was why getting through his first year of med school had been so incredibly hard for him.

Faintly, in the back of his mind, Hank could hear the rise and fall of the Cello behind his piano notes. It truly was a piece meant for two. More of a love song between the two instruments than anything else, but he knew Jill only had so much time to pick out pieces before this. 

Hank was almost surprised as his pace started to slow down and his notes got softer, he was nearing the end of the song already. Logically, he knew the piece was over six minutes if played correctly, but it felt like mere seconds since he started. 

The song quickly ended soon after and he flipped through the pages until he saw the next piece, “Gymnopédie No. 1.” He hadn’t ever played this one before, but he knew that the pace was slow and the sound was deep. He realized once he started playing that it sounded almost rich or decadent in a way with how the sounds melded easily together. There were pauses where he let the notes carry and he felt content with how this was going, even if he had been nervous at first. However, this song was shorter than the last and he had to end earlier than he would have liked. 

He quickly switched his pages to the next song and the next after that, completely relaxed in playing the rest of the night at this point. Sometimes his mind wandered to Boris and what exactly he was doing at the event, but it didn’t take long before he refocused to the beautiful piano that melded to the whims of his hands. One of his favorite pieces, “Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor,” showed up in his pile of papers and Hank couldn’t contain a smile as he played it. 

Hank stayed almost completely oblivious to the world around him as he went through piece after piece, but he almost stopped and laughed when he switched songs to his final piece and saw, “Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major.” It really wasn’t the type of song to be played at an event like this. This piece drew attention to itself in a way that the songs before hadn’t. Hank knew he really should just skip over it, but Jill had printed it out for him and he wasn’t about to let both Evan and Jill completely off the hook for making him do this.. So, he decided he would play it. 

Hank didn’t waste his time starting off slow like he did with the other songs, he just delved into the fast-paced notes that made his heart sing. The complexity was what made the piece so unique. Hank realized that it was kind of hard to keep up with the pace that the song required, but he loved a challenge every now and then. Plus, he treasured how playful and serious the music was all at once. It was a contradiction that shouldn’t work out, yet it did and it flourished in doing so. 

He went through the high notes while keeping up with the more background sounds of the low notes before he played them together and made a louder and more pronounced sound throughout the room, he should really be worried with how many people were now paying attention to him because of the change in pace and song choice, but he couldn’t bring himself to focus on anything other than what he was currently playing. 

His hands were now flying, even though some of the songs he had played before this one had faster paces in different spots here and there, they usually slowed down in other parts and allowed some pauses. But this song… It felt different in the way of emotion too, more like running or free falling than the previous feel of dancing or relaxing. 

The song was barely three minutes long, but he felt as if he had been playing forever as the song came to its abrupt end. His heart was beating fast against his ribcage, almost as if it had been trying to keep up with the song. 

With the sound of his heart in his ears and nothing else, Hank turned and gathered up all of the papers sitting atop the stand on the piano, as he stood he noticed that a good portion of the room were turned and looking at him. Immediately, his face flushed and he wondered if he had screwed up that last song so badly that everyone had to turn and look. He really hated being the attention of so many people so he was about to walk far away from the piano when everyone started clapping, slow at first and then much louder when the rest of the crowd joined in. Hank was confused and more than a little unsettled with the situation, he was just supposed to play the background music so people didn’t get bored and leave. People weren’t supposed to pay much mind to him. 

Feeling out of his element, Hank gave an awkward smile and wave as he walked from the piano and into the crowd where he saw Evan standing with Jill, both of them smiling wide. 

As he approached, Evan said enthusiastically, “Told you that’d you do great, big brother.” 

Hank nodded, still feeling flustered when Jill said, “Hank, that was amazing, why have you never mentioned you had such a talent before? You honestly saved this charity event and I’m pretty sure people donated just because of you.”

Jill gave Hank a quick hug and a thank you before they were all surrounded by people asking him where he got such a great talent, Hank distinctly heard one woman say, “A successful doctor and a talented musician, who wouldn’t want him?” 

Apparently, Hank was going to be a spectacle again in The Hamptons, just like he was when he first got here. Resigned, Hank responded to the compliments with thanks and tried to weasel his way out the door with his brother, it was almost time for the event to be over. Hank hadn’t realized that he had been playing for all that long. 

Hank lost his brother when Evan had started handing out business cards, creating quite the scene by announcing himself as, “The manager of the famous doctor and musician.” Hank honestly wanted to just leave and go home, but he really couldn’t leave Evan stranded here. 

Just when he was about to leave regardless of his brother being with him or not, Boris showed up at his side, coming from seemingly out of nowhere and said, “You look like you could use some air, Hank. Would you like to join me on a short walk?”

Hank nodded and allowed Boris to hold his elbow and lead him out of the back door where Hank had come in at. The slightly chilly air hitting his face made Hank feel extremely relieved that he was no longer stuck in the room that seemed to be closing in despite its enormous size. He knew that he was getting anxious over nothing, yet he couldn’t have stopped the feeling, even if he happened to know which part of the brain and which rapidly firing neurons caused it. 

Boris had seen how Hank had struggled with the people surrounding him and thrusting compliments at him, it was clearly rude of them to not simply leave Hank alone. He had felt a feeling of protectiveness towards the doctor and had made his way through the crowd to offer Hank a polite escape. 

Even though both Boris and Hank knew of the body guard that was following behind them, they felt as if they were alone. Hank was pleasantly surprised that Boris hadn’t removed his hand from Hank’s elbow when they finally made it a little down the small walkway they had found. 

Once they had gotten farther away from the building, Hank said, “While I will never admit to being a damsel in distress, thank you for saving me. I don’t do well while being the fuss of such a large number of people.” 

Boris responded promptly with a slight crinkle next to his eyes, “Always, Hank. I would never let you be devoured by the wolves.”

Hank chuckled, “They do remind me of wolves.” 

Boris said his agreement before adding, “You know, Hank. If I was aware of your abilities, I would have hired you as both my doctor and my pianist.” 

Hank blushed at the compliment before shaking his head in disagreement, “I really had no idea people would be so.. appreciative of my playing skills. Although, I’m pretty sure Evan is still in there trying to make money off of it somehow.”

Boris knew Hank would shy away from compliments given to him, he had seen it ever since he had met the man, so he didn’t push. “I believe Ms. Casey has more than the amount of donations she was hoping for. Hopefully, her free clinic can start up soon. I have come to find that the less fortunate around this area are in a desperate need for it.”

Relived at a subject change, Hank replied, “Yeah, it’s becoming an issue for a lot of other communities too. I had a nurse that I knew from Brooklyn email me about how people have been refusing to get medical care because they knew that they couldn’t afford it. I wish I could do something more about it, but the free clinic here will hopefully get the snowball rolling for other areas.”

Almost taken by Hank’s level of compassion for not just the people around him, but for people in general, Boris doesn’t answer right away. “You are doing more than anyone else would have believed possible, Hank. You are making a difference for the better.”

As they slowly stop walking, Hank turns to Boris before saying, “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know absolutely 0 about music and instruments. I am extremely sorry if any of this is out of whack or something, please feel free to tell me how to fix it. I basically just have the songs on my phone because I’m fond of classical music… Also, at this point I feel like I’ve made some of the characters OOC, oh well I guess. I won’t be updating for a bit because I have semester tests coming up and that always eats up 900% of my time.


	4. Defending the Elite (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in so long, but now I’m laying sick in bed so I guess it’s as good of time as any to update. Also, this is probably going to be a darker chapter, I’ll update the tags if necessary. This will probably also be a stand-alone one shot unless I decide to bring it back up, so don’t expect the characters to talk much about what occurs in this one. Actually, this could probably be a fic on its own.. but I think I’m happy with posting it here.

The patient’s name is Claire Winston and she is eleven years old with black hair and blue eyes, Hank would guess that she is a little under 5 feet tall, although she won’t let him get exact measurements. She is also claiming that she is thirteen years old, but looking at the file her parents gave him, that’s clearly not true. 

The patient asked dramatically from where she was perched on his exam table, “When is this stupid exam going to be over?” 

Hank sighed before replying, “It’ll be over when I say it’s over and when your parents come back to pick you up.”

Receiving a glare from the young lady sitting on the table, Hank continued with the examination. He was honestly almost done, but he was afraid of what would happen if he let her free around the house while they waited for her parents. 

It was already late, the sun was on its way to setting, and he was tired from a long day of work. However, the Winston family had insisted that it was imperative that their little girl get checked out before they leave to some unknown country. At this point, Hank is almost unsurprised when he sees black lines covering half of the medical history sheets he gets. This time though, only a few places the girl has been were redacted. It makes his job harder because he must now do wide range blood tests instead of searching more specifically for diseases from the climates and areas that are indicated normally in a patient’s history. 

In order to narrow down his list, Hank asks her, “Have you been to any extremely humid areas of the world or any place without clean water?” 

Claire’s prompt reply was as predictable as it was irking, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Some days, Hank wonders why he even decided to deal with the rich. Although, he knows logically that everyone gets sick, even the rich; and as a doctor he can’t be one to discriminate against who he treats. Even if he knows certain doctors who neglect the poor in favor of treating those who can line their pockets, he can’t make the score even by choosing not to treat the more wealthy. 

The girl was sticking her tongue out at him while he relooked over her charts, she was exceptionally healthy, especially for her age bracket. Most kids her age were either chugging pop and candy while locking themselves in their room or they were being so reckless while they played outside that they received broken bones. 

A high-pitched voice reminded him he still had company, “Now are we done?” 

Another sigh. “Sure, but your parents still aren’t here to pick you up. I’m not sure what you would want to do while we wait.”

The girl jumped off the exam table and started making her way to the kitchen, “I’m hungry.”

Actually excited that he had something he could entertain her with, Hank replied, “I can make you something, but you’ll have to help me make it because I’m awful at cooking.” It was only a tiny lie, he was decent at cooking, he just hated cleaning up the mess afterwards. 

She stared at him like he’d grown another head or something else equally as gruesome and stayed silent for a moment. After a few moments to make her decision, she finally answered with a short nod, “I guess I’ll help you make something to eat, but only because I’m sure if I let you do it by yourself it would be gross.”

Hank has to hide his smirk at that, so he turns towards the fridge and asks, “Okay then, what would you like to make?”

“Hmm, we should make sandwiches, I’m sure you can’t be that bad at making those.”

Hank gets out things to put on the sandwiches and places them on the center island, “There’s bread in that cabinet right there,” he points with one hand while his other is trying to find a clean butter knife, “and there are plates in the cabinet right above it.”

Surprisingly enough, Claire actually gets out the things he has asked for and puts them on the island next to him. 

After Clair sits down two pieces of bread on each plate, he lightly claps his hands and asks, “Okay, what should we put on them?”

She states matter of factly, like Hank has never even seen a sandwich before, “You have to put mayonnaise on first and then lettuce and then pickles, and after that you put on the ham and cheese. Then on the other slice of bread you can put mustard on it if you want, but I don’t like mustard.”

Hank nods like he has been given an important mission and very seriously asks, “Why do you put the pickles in the middle?”

“Well, because if you didn’t, then your sandwich would get soggy, silly.”

Hank nods once again and starts spreading mayonnaise on his sandwich after Claire is done with the container. If he’d known entertaining her was as easy as letting her tell him how to make a sandwich, he’s pretty sure he would have been less weary about letting her run around the house. 

They finished making their sandwiches in silence, his with mustard and hers without. Hank carried his plate to the couch in front of their tv and she followed. Hank turned the tv on and waited for her to direct him to a show that she wanted to watch, he wasn’t disappointed, “We should watch a movie, one with action and explosions.” 

Hank was guessing that she might want to watch a chick flick, but he quickly changed the tv to one of the FOX movie channels that was usually playing some kind of action drama. 

Claire was already devouring her sandwich and Hank was about to take his first bite when the phone rang, he silently cursed and set down his sandwich before going to pick up his cell phone where he left it in the kitchen. Seeing that it was Mr. Winston, he answered, “This is Hank.” 

Immediately Hank heard a panicked and out of breath voice replying, “Hank, this is Mr. Winston. Get Claire to a safe place, some of my associates are coming after her.” 

Hank was confused so he asked, “What do you mean, ‘associates’? Is this a joke?”

The line was silent for a little while before the same voice answered, “I assure you, Doctor Lawson, this is no joke, we picked you to examine our girl because you reside on Shadow Pond, one of the safest places in the Hamptons. There will be people coming and they will be there to kill my daughter. Now get her to the main estate and tell your land lord what’s going on, you don’t have much time.” 

The voice on the other end of the phone hung up and Hank was left reeling. Quickly, he moved to the living room where the girl was completely oblivious to the conversation he just had with her father. “We have to go to the main estate, your father said that people were coming after you.”

It took a moment, but the girl reacted, “Daddy always says someone is after me, we’ll be fine here.”

Hank honestly was about to bang his head on a wall and thought about just carrying the petulant child out of the house when he heard shouting. The sound was fairly far away, but he knew what was happening. Thankfully, Claire heard it too and got a mildly concerned look on her face, “Maybe we should move to the large estate.”

Hank saw a shadow outside on his patio and quickly grabbed the girl and flung her to the ground, but she was faster than him and managed to do a half crawl to the stairs and promptly scurried up them. 

Hank cursed loudly before following after her, praying to whatever God there was that the dim lighting in the room kept him hidden enough to not get shot. He really hadn’t expected such things when he came to The Hamptons. The Hamptons, for God’s sake!

Hank heard banging on his front door as he hurried after the stupid girl, who was now hurdled in a corner in his room. He grabbed her arm, almost to the point of bruising, and said lowly, “You are going to follow me from now on.”

She sneered, “You don’t even know how to keep me safe, we can hide here.”

Hank rolled his eyes before leaving where she was and going to his bedside drawer to pull out what was a .380 Semi-Auto Bersa handgun. He honestly hadn’t even needed it since living in Passaic and by the way Claire’s eyes widened, he knew that he had her attention. 

He knew that they couldn’t stay here long, shortly the “associates” of Mr. Winston were going to break in. He pulled on her arm and this time she followed him to the window opposite of his bed. They were on the second floor of the house, but eyeing the height, he knew he could probably make it without breaking anything. He didn’t see anyone down there but the lights were dim and he wasn’t sure, they’d just have to be quiet. As he heard the front door break down, he knew it was their only option. Whispering in her ear, he said, “I’m going down first and I’ll catch you when you go after me. Try your best to hang on to the ledge and close the window before you drop.”

She nodded as he stuck the gun in his waist band and carefully dropped to the ground. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling on his knees or ankles as the shock of the drop hit him, but he was right in that he wouldn’t break anything. He quickly stood up and motioned for her to drop down. She carefully perched herself on the ledge and closed the window before she let go. 

It was almost impossible for Hank to bear her falling weight as he caught her, but he managed. Soon enough, they were hiding next to the wall of the house behind some bushes. It was a chilly night and he could see their breaths, but he had a feeling that was the least of their problems. 

Hank quickly got out his phone and dimmed the brightness so no one would spot them, the girl was staying strangely quiet, but he focused on the task at hand. Hank quickly texted Boris, 

'Theyre after my patient'

'Stormed the guest house'

'Trying to make it to main estate'

Thankfully, his phone was on silent when he got a reply only seconds after he sent the messages, 

'My team is making their way to you now, stay where you are until they get there. Your cell is being tracked.' 

Hank crouches down lower so he can whisper into Claire’s ear, “Some people will be here soon to lead us to the main estate, you’ll be safe there.”

Now that he really looked at her, she looked frightened. Her blue eyes were bright with tears and her black hair was slightly mused. He hoped the information of a safe haven would make her feel better. 

Their breathing sounded loud against the silence that now surrounded them, the cold metal of Hank’s gun pressing into his side made itself known. He quickly noticed the shivering of the small girl next to him and tried to huddle around her more without making too much noise when he was moving. 

Shouting reverberated through their small hiding place and they both heard low thuds that couldn’t be anything besides a gun with a silencer firing. Claire made a small surprised noise, and Hank had to quickly cover her mouth. 

Suddenly, the area around them was being filled with the beams of flashlights, their hiding place didn’t seem like such a good place to be hiding anymore. Adrenaline flooded Hank’s system and his leg muscles were jumping with fight or flight reflexes, but he held the both of them as still as he could and hoped the flashlights belonged to Boris’ security team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger – whoops


	5. Defending the Elite (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I ever say that I would update regularly? Yes? Well, I probably should have never said that. My internet has been out for the past forever (because it turns out if you stop paying the internet company, they turn off your internet.)

Hank slowly drew his gun from his waistband and aimed it towards where the beams of light were coming from. He could tell that Claire was terrified, although he doubted he could ever get her to admit it. Almost unconsciously, he shuffled in front of her in his crouched position. Ready to attack or defend, whichever kept his patient safe. 

Suddenly, the phone in Hank’s pocket lit up dully. He quickly checked it with the hand that wasn’t holding the gun. 

'My men are close to your location, but cannot locate you.' 

Hank let out a sigh of relief before briefly peaking around the bushes they were hiding behind, although he still couldn’t see much. He was about to look further, but Claire tried to stop him with a hand to his elbow and a wordless plea in her eyes. Hank resolutely shook his head and motioned for her to stay put. 

Carefully, just in case it wasn’t Boris’ men, he rounded the shrub in a crouch with his gun still pointed in the direction of the flashlights. Within an instant, he recognized a few of the men and lowered his weapon. In the dark, he still wasn’t visible so Hank quickly went back a few steps and found Claire. 

She looked at him fearfully, but stayed quiet. Hank told her lowly, “It’s all right, the men are my friend’s security team. They will lead us away from here and get us somewhere safe.” Just to prove to her that it was safe, he lifted his shirt and tucked his gun away. He never liked having it around anyways, but apparently even in the Hamptons, it pays to be prepared. 

Claire didn’t seem convinced, but still followed him when he stood up and walked out into the open. Hank noticed that she was still shivering and promised himself that they would both be somewhere warm soon. 

Within a few steps, they were noticed by Boris’ security and surrounded by men. Claire pressed herself behind him, and Hank couldn't help that he stood taller to try and protect her. One of the men spoke in a barely hidden middle-eastern accent and the flashlights turned off, “Doctor Lawson, we are here to lead you to the main house.”

Hank nodded his approval and followed the man who spoke. He still didn’t fail to notice how the group of men situated themselves around both him and his patient in a diamond like pattern, with an extra man or two farther ahead and behind them. 

Their footsteps were mostly quiet, except for Claire who was trying her best to meld into Hank’s side. He quickly grabbed her hand and was surprised when she didn’t protest. He realized that she was probably scared because of all the tactical gear the men around them were wearing along with the assault rifles that were being pointed into the surrounding area. 

He couldn’t make out the make or model of the assault rifles because of the dark, and promptly stopped trying when he figured out plausible deniability might be a good idea. At the moment, he was thankful for the moonless night. 

The group trekked to the main estate without problems, for which Hank was thankful. They entered in through some type of back doorway that Hank had never seen before and were promptly moved to a large room where Boris and a few other men Hank didn’t recognize were arguing. 

When Hank made it further into the room and Boris noticed him and his trembling patient, the arguing promptly stopped and Hank visibly saw Boris sigh in what he hoped was relief. 

Boris strode over to his side and said, “Hank. I am glad you are safe.” Hank could see that Boris was looking him over for injuries, which was thoughtful and made Hank give him a half smile. Although, he was the doctor and he should be the one looking people over. 

Claire decided that she didn’t need to hold his hand anymore, so she promptly took her hand back. Hank could see a small rise of a blush to her cheeks and guessed that she was embarrassed. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard her mumble, “I’m not a baby.”

She stayed close by him though, while Hank filled in Boris on what he knew, “Her father’s name is John Winston and he called me shortly before the guest house was broken into, he told me that his associates were going to try and…” Hank paused for a moment to think about the girl next to him before he continued, “kill Claire.” The girl in question shifted by his side, but remained silent, “He never alluded to the assailants trying to kidnap her, so it’s probably reasonable to guess that whoever is after her is trying to get revenge for something her parents did.”

Boris nodded and Claire decided that speaking up would probably help her in the long run, “My dad said that he was taking me to Hank because it would be safe here for a while. He doesn’t talk about business with me though, but I know that he doesn’t just manage banking accounts like he says he does.”

Gesturing for the men across the room to come to him, Boris replied to Claire, “Yes, well, my men have gathered one of the attackers and are bringing them here. You are safe here until then, it seems that the remaining cowards have fled capture. My men are following them as we speak, local and national authorities have been brought in and they will not get away.”

Hank nodded before asking Boris, “Are any of your men injured?”

Shaking his head in decline, Boris said, “Nein, no, none of them are hurt.”

Hank sighed, “I’m sorry I got you into this mess, Boris.”

The man shook his head and gestured his hand, “It is of no importance, it was not your fault, Hank. I know you would not willingly endanger me. I also know that men like Mr. Winston like to take advantage of my resources. He was either too lazy to take Claire out of the country or saw no need to, either way he was ignorant.”

Claire’s eyes shied to the ground, but didn’t deny what was said. 

It was in that moment that a man was dragged into the room by two of Boris’ guards, one of them Hank recognized as Uriah, a man Hank had patched up for twisting his ankle just last week. 

Boris swiftly said to the men referring to his two guests in the room, “They do not need to see this, take them elsewhere.”

Quickly, both Hank and Claire were hurdled away from the room. Hank glared and said, “No. Take Claire, but I’m staying.”

Surprisingly, the men listened to him and allowed him to stay. However, Claire was becoming agitated again, “Hey, it’s me they’re after, I should get to stay too!”

Quietly happy that Claire was getting back to her old, annoying self, Hank sternly said, “Claire, go with them.”

Placated, Claire mumbled something along the lines of, “Fine, whatever.”

When she was out of the room, Uriah and the other man, who were holding up someone slouched between them, moved to the center of the room and unceremoniously dropped the man to the floor. He was obviously unconscious, and Hank moved to check on him when he was stopped by Boris’ arm in front of his chest. “He does not need to be seen to.”

Hank suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, “I’m sure.”

He moved past the arm Boris had stopped him with and crouched down before moving his hand to the man’s pulse. Immediately, guns were aimed at the man below Hank, as if the doctor could magically wake him up by checking his pulse. 

Hank was relieved when he found a slow pulse and quickly moved his hand to the man’s head. He quickly found a rather large bump on the back of his skull that was slowly oozing blood. Next, Hank lifted his eyelids and waved his hands in front of them, noticing the pupil dilation. He then looked up and asked, “How long has he been unconscious?”

Uriah answered him, “Ten minutes, doctor.”

Hank nodded before lifting the man’s arm up and letting it drop, “Well, I’d guess he just has a concussion. Do you want him to wake up so you can question him?” 

Boris replied, “If you would, doctor.”

Hank nodded before taking off the man’s tactical vest and searching his pockets and tilting his head to the side. 

Boris crouched down beside Hank and looked to the man, “What are you looking for, Hank?”

Hank quickly found what he was looking for, he grabbed a short-range walkie talkie from the man’s cargo pants. Boris eyed him as he twisted the knob and static voices flowed through the machine. 

Hank handed the walkie to Boris while he said, “He’ll wake up quick if this works and I don’t want a black eye, so your men should hold him down.”

Nodding, Boris gestured for his men to do exactly that as the voices continued through the room in a language Boris didn’t recognize. 

The man was now being held down by both his shoulders and his knees, so Hank rasped his knuckles hard over the man’s sternum, digging his knuckles into the bone there. 

Immediately it had the desired effect and the man jerked awake, limbs trying their best to escape the strong hold on them. 

Hank sat back and said, “Well, that was dramatic.” 

Boris stood up and offered Hank a hand as well. Standing, the doctor motioned towards the walkie in Boris’ hands, “That sounds like Bengali, although, I have no clue if they’re talking in some kind of code.” 

Boris nodded and took in his intelligent doctor. Hank was watching the man on the floor struggle, seemingly in thought. “I take it you somehow know John H. Winston. He knew you could protect his daughter.”

Head bowed, Boris replied, “Yes. His real name is not John Winston.”

Both Hank and Boris started walking to the room where Claire was being kept, “I guessed that you were associated with him somehow, I assume that you also know why Claire is being targeted.” 

Boris eyed Hank before hesitantly nodding. Hank waved his hand dismissively, “I don’t need to know. I just need to know what we need to do to keep Claire safe.” 

Noticing Hank’s excessive use of “we,” he could guess that Hank wasn’t going to let Boris handle everything. It was obviously too much to ask that the doctor just try and keep himself safe. He was being selfless as ever, and if it weren’t something Boris admired about the doctor, he would be annoyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice how no one except Claire found out Hank had a gun? Notice how he didn't have to explain why he has an armed weapon in his house???? There's a reason for that. We'll get to that in a few chapters. For now, expect chapters like the previous ones: less dramatic and more fun. Also, I have finally decided that these past two chapters will be included in the same timeline as the other chapters. ALSO ALSO, my stigmatism has come back and my glasses do nothing to help me,,, so if there are any errors in this please help me out because I'm having a lot of trouble reading and writing right now.


	6. Entertaining Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two former Mossad agents, a doctor, and a man of Russian royalty walk into a kitchen… This is so ooc, oml. Please forgive me. There are only so many “..” pauses I can add when I imagine Boris is searching for an English word to use. Also note that I have limited knowledge about cooking as I can really only cook food that comes with instructions. Although, I am happy to admit I know how to make a roux for homemade mac and cheese.

The slight chill in the air had drawn back to gentle, cool breezes in the Hamptons as Boris and his security make their way to the guest house. After recent events, Galil had insisted that at least two of his men stay with Boris at all times. Boris had allowed it, even though he could argue that the doctor they are currently going to visit could use it more. 

Boris almost frowned when he noticed the patio door was open to Hank’s dwelling. Shouldn’t he have learned anything from the attack on his house? 

Entering the household through the open door along with Uriah trailing behind him and his additional guard waiting outside the door, Boris quickly noticed the sound of Jazz and the sight of Hank floating through the kitchen. 

His good doctor seemed lost in thought and Boris took in all the papers lying around the kitchen counters as well as the many things cooking around the room. The stovetop was full of sizzling or boiling foods, the oven was emitting an orange glow, and what space of the countertops that wasn’t full of papers held cutting boards and chopped vegetables of different sorts. Amidst it all was Hank, sifting through everything, occasionally flipping something on the stove. 

Boris cleared his throat, hoping to get Hank’s attention, and quickly trying to come up with a reason to stay longer and see his doctor work in the kitchen. It was an interesting sight to say the least. Before walking in, he had only planned to stay long enough to give Hank an invitation to have dinner and a short party with him and some potential business partners of his from the United Kingdom. He could have sent Dieter with a note, but that was no way to treat a guest as valuable as Hank. 

Hank didn’t even turn from where he was looking through the papers. His back to Boris, he simply waved, “Hey, Boris.” 

Hank really wanted to be polite and greet Boris normally, but he was kind of in the middle of something. If only he could find the one recipe he was looking for. He had started making a prawn and scallop paella, but had forgotten one of the ingredients. Sure, he could simply go on without it and it would still be a good dish.. But it wouldn’t be a great dish. 

Without Hank noticing him, Boris had come up behind him and startled him when he said, “Are you certain it is not a.. safety hazard to have all these papers strewn about in the kitchen where you are frying things?” 

Hank turned around then and looked a little sheepish, “Sorry, Boris. Just looking for a recipe.” 

The room had a smell that Boris had only found in his own kitchen whenever he had his chefs prepare him something particularly extravagant for a party. “It looks like you are doing well without the recipe, Hank.” 

Hank spun around and shrugged, flipping his red onions in their skillet before putting them back on the burner, “Thanks, but it’s not going to be the same unless I figure out the ingredient I’m missing...” He took one last sweep through the papers scattered left and right before sighing, “…but I don’t think the recipe is here.” 

Boris took a seat at the island in the kitchen where Hank is gathering up his papers, but he quickly notices the recipes aren’t in English, not that he could even be sure that they were recipes in the first place. They looked Italian, maybe French. Raising his eyebrow, he stays quiet and files the information away for later exploration. 

As he is gathering papers Hank is apologizing, “I’m sorry, Boris. I didn’t mean to waste your time, I was fairly sure your check-up was two days from now. Although, I usually let Evan work up the schedule but he’s out of town.” 

Giving Hank a small smile, Boris assures him, “You are not wasting my time, doctor. And you are correct in that my check-up is this Tuesday, I merely came here to extend an invitation for a dinner with myself and some of the people I hope to work with. Although, I am very curious as to what you are preparing for your own dinner this evening.” 

Hank grinned wide, “Why don’t you stay and find out?” He gestured to Uriah who was still in the corner of the room, “Uriah can come stay for dinner too, as well as the guard outside.” The doctor’s smile dimmed slightly as he added, “That is, if it’s no trouble and you don’t have any other plans.” 

Boris was quick to say, “It is no trouble at all, Hank. I would be happy to stay for dinner. Although, I do not know of my security, they have been particularly adamant of my protection as of late.” 

The doctor nodded and his smile renewed as he went back to cooking. He was thinly chopping green and red peppers at the island when Uriah gave a low chuckle from where he was positioned in the corner. In a rough accent he stated, “I do not think you are supposed to invite the shadows to dinner, Dr. Lawson.” 

Quickly moving the chopped vegetables from the island to the medium saucepan he had on the stove, Hank replied, “Says who? And just so you know, saying I’m inviting shadows to dinner is incredibly ominous. Plus, Boris is just as safe as he usually is, so it’s not like you’d be putting him in danger by having dinner…” Hank was now putting in rice and diced tomatoes into the mixture he had been making on the stove. “…In fact, he’s probably safer now than ever if the new HD-CVI Video Over Coax Cameras I saw you guys hanging up are anything to go by.”

Uriah failed to comment on the HD-CVI’s, how the doctor knew of high performance surveillance cameras was beyond him, but he knew when to respect someone’s privacy. Boris has been very protective of the doctor and it wouldn’t be smart to question him. Although, he did have objections to quitting his duty in the middle of a shift, “Dr. Lawson, I am thankful, but my colleague and I will have to decline.” 

Boris made sure to not forget this tidbit of information about the cameras along with the recipes. His doctor was definitely more than meets the eye. Usually that would make him suspicious. After all, he is used to protecting himself, but with Hank it was different. Instead of wanting to stay away in case of danger, he simply wants to unravel the puzzle that is Hank. 

The doctor wiped his hands on his jeans before pulling out his phone, “I’ll just make you both containers to-go.” Dialing a number, Hank talks to someone who is clearly very loud on the phone, “No, come on. I just need the recipe for our prawn and scallop paella. No. I’m not in Jersey. Fine.” 

Hank hung up after that and Boris had to suppress the urge to grin at the exacerbated look on Hank’s face. The doctor sighed loudly, “He could have just said I needed tarragon, but instead it’s ‘herbe aromatique l’estragon.’ The man isn’t even really French, he’s just pretentious.” 

Ah. So, the recipes were in French. Boris noted that it was one mystery solved, at least partially. Now, Hank was reaching up above the counter top to get into the cabinet there.. or, he was trying to anyways. The poor doctor seemed to be a centimeter too short for what he was trying to reach. 

Without hesitation, Boris moved from where he was sitting on his stool to where Hank was standing on his tip toes reaching into the cabinet. “Let me, Hank.”

Hank huffed, but moved out of the way when he noticed how close Boris was behind him. Not that he really minded. “The third jar on the left, please.” 

Boris picked the jar up and handed it to Hank, who he noticed was slightly blushing. There really was no need to be embarrassed at something as simple as needing help reaching for an herb. Although, Boris would have to look into putting more lower cabinets in Hank’s kitchen.

Hank gave his thanks and turned around to sprinkle a pinch of the herb into his simmering chicken stock before mixing it around. “There. All ingredients accounted for. Dinner will be ready in 25 minutes tops, but until then, I made blue cheese and pear tartlets as appetizers.” Hank then turned off the burner before putting tin foil over his pan and moving it to the oven. 

To say Boris was amazed was an understatement throughout the whole dinner. Not that Boris didn’t respect his own chefs, and not to say that Boris isn’t biased, but Hank’s cooking was something he’d never tasted before. It also surprised Boris that he and Hank were able to easily hold a conversation through dinner, which lasted far longer than most dinners would. Not that it was an inconvenience, he just missed a conference call. He was sure Dieter rescheduled it for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could also be named: “Or the One Where Boris and Hank Go on a Date Without Either of Them Knowing It”


	7. Safe Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place the next day after the last chapter. Also, take pity on me and my silly imaginary last names, I can only be so creative at one time. Lastly, ERRORS-> please tell me. Thanks.

The two men currently sitting across himself and Hank at the dining table were supposedly fresh into the business world, but Boris suspected they had more experience than they were letting on. No one with that little of influence should have been able to land as many deals with high-level companies as they did.

James Duchin, obviously the leader of the two, spent time in the army and came out with a pristine record and a set of medals to match. The other man, Karl Jump, the more business savvy out of the group, grew up in a small town in Kansas. Nothing out of the normal was listed in his history except that he had managed to get into MIT before the age of 17.

Mr. Duchin was a fairly common looking man of average height but with a muscled body, presumably left over from his time in the military, while Mr. Jump was taller and more lean with a pair of glasses to match. Regardless of their differences, Mr. Jump and former Lt. Duchin seemed to make an excellent team. Which is why they were here. 

Boris had wanted to throw the two men off, to unsettle them. As far as they knew, they were planned to arrive this evening and go straight into a meeting with Boris and a few people from his board of directors. Instead, they were thrust into a dinner with himself and Hank. If he was going to give these people control of a portion of his assets, then they had to be able to think on their feet. Even after a six-hour flight. 

Of course, Hank took it with stride. Within the first course of dinner, the doctor had managed to get promises from both Mr. Jump and Mr. Duchin that they would look into donating to a number of medical related charities including: Jill's free clinic, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer. It was good to note that Hank was easily getting these two men to bend to his will. Not that Boris could blame them, Hank had that effect on people when he was talking about what he was passionate about. 

By the time dinner was over, everyone was relaxed and Boris was confident in his vetting of James Duchin and Karl Jump. The two men were to stay in separate guest rooms in his house for the night and rest for a real meeting that was now scheduled for tomorrow evening. 

\----------

With the two men now sent up to their rooms, and both Boris and Hank relocated to a lounge, Boris turned to Hank, who yawned loudly. “You seem overtired, Hank. Perhaps I should have sent you up to a room as well?” 

Hank made a dismissive motion before replying, “I had to stay up all night with a patient shortly after you left the guest house yesterday and we were all booked up with appointments today. I took a nap at lunch though, Boris. It’s fine, really.” 

Boris gave Hank a small frown. He should know by now that Hank’s own health and comfort come second to his patients’. This would simply not do, he would have to make sure his doctor got enough rest. How he was still upright and maintaining conversation was a miracle unto itself. “Stay the night here, Hank.” Hank was about to protest, but Boris continued, “I insist, it is the least I could do after you made me dinner yesterday. It is nearly the middle of the night and the walk back to the guest house is long, especially considering the two glasses of wine you had.”

Hank hated it when Boris made sense. Instead of agreeing, he simply said, “That was a good Bordeaux.” 

Boris nodded his head before standing, “Let me lead you to your room, Hank.” 

\----------

Hank guessed this definitely beats the last time he stayed the night in Boris’ main estate, the last time he had felt more like a popsicle than a person. And he had stayed in Boris’ room. Which at the time seemed fine, but later he felt guilty for basically kicking the man out of his own bed. 

He’d just got done texting Evan that he wouldn’t be home tonight again, although he forgot to mention that it wasn’t for a patient this time. Evan tended to get over excited about things involving Boris. His brother had the world’s hugest man crush on Boris, mostly because of his money but probably also because of the whole shark-in-the-basement thing. 

Hank had just gotten ready for bed and was about to settle down when he heard a loud thump and a shout that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Without even fully realizing he was doing it, he was out of bed and into the hallway outside of his room. The shout couldn’t have been very far away with how loud it was, so he was assuming it came from the guest room next to his that held either of the two men from dinner tonight. 

He was about to call for one of Boris’ security when he heard another yell. Although this time it didn’t sound angry.. it sounded in pain. Letting his doctor instincts take over, he was opening the door he thought the shouts had come from. 

The doctor wasn’t expecting to be confronted with a very haggard-looking James Duchin. The lamp was on in the far side of the room, but this still left long shadows all over the room, one of which Mr. Duchin was hiding in. 

Trying not to startle the man, Hank calmly said with his palms raised, “James, I’m Hank Lawson. We met at dinner, do you know where you are?”

James still didn’t seem to notice Hank and he still had a gleam in his eyes that Hank guessed was terror. James must be suffering from sort of PTSD and woken up from a nightmare. 

Just as Hank was going to try a different approach in reaching the man, one of the security Hank was going to call earlier kicked the door the rest of the way open from where Hank had left it partially open. 

This seemed to make things worse for the former Lt. Duchin, who was now moving to the very corner of the room and sinking to the floor. 

James seemed to now know that they were in the room, but was quickly determining them as threats. The security member who was trying to put himself in front of the doctor had his gun out and aimed at the man still secluded in the shadows of the room.

Just as Boris and more security show up, Hank was quickly trying to defuse the situation. “James, these men aren’t here to hurt you. They heard you shout in your sleep and that’s why they came in running.”

Boris watched in both horror and confusion as his doctor tried to talk to who seemed to be Mr. Duchin. He had awoken when he heard the yelling and promptly searched Hank’s room, only to find it empty. Which was when both he and his security moved to looking in Mr. Duchin’s room.

Hank obviously knew something about the situation that everyone else was missing as he continued to talk to Mr. Duchin. There was obviously no one else in the room to be the cause of the yelling. Soon enough, all the commotion also woke Mr. Jump who was currently trying to get between Boris and Uriah. Mr. Jump stated with urgency, “He’s not going to hurt anyone, he’s just scared. His wife told me that he gets like this when he forgets his medicine.”

Understanding drew over Boris and he quickly motioned for his security to lower their weapons, but none of them put their guns fully away. Hank tried to quickly reason with James again before anything else happened. “Karl is here, James. He wants to see if you’re okay.”

The doctor was now moving from behind the large security guard in front of him and slowly making his way towards James in a harmless posture. Boris had tried to stop him by grabbing onto his shoulder, but received a heated glare in return. Boris knew that some people like Mr. Duchin were likely to get dangerous in these types of situations, but Hank was a doctor and seemed to know what he was doing. Letting Hank go to the man in the corner went against every instinct inside of Boris, but he had to force himself to accept that Hank was needed by James Duchin at the moment. 

Hank slowly made his way to James, who Hank noted was in a very defensive position in the room where he could see everyone. This must be very overwhelming for him. Not only had he woken up seemingly without knowing where he was, he was surrounded by men with guns.

When Hank reached the man in the corner, he crouched down and talked lowly with him. No one in the room could hear what he was being said besides James, but soon enough Mr. Duchin was rising with Hank and being lead to the bed. 

As soon as his head hit the pillow, James was out like a light. Boris was quickly trying to move Hank away from the room and Hank let himself be lead away, but only after saying, “Your men can put their guns away now.” Of course, no one listened. So, he continued, “Not that I think he’s going to be waking up or even that he was dangerous in the first place, but I could give him a sedative if I can get to my bag.” 

Boris hesitantly agreed. 

As soon as they were out of the room, with Boris’ security and Mr. Jump still watching over James, Hank said, “You should still do business with them.” Boris lifted his eyebrow in response, but Hank continued, “I know that’s what dinner was about.” 

Boris nodded, “I have met men before who suffer.. from their past. It does not make them bad people. This event was not going to change my mind about doing business with Mr. Duchin. He and Mr. Jump seem to be excellent at what they do.”

Hank gave a small smile, “Good.” 

Dieter, who was somehow still in a suit at this hour, took that moment to show up with Dr. Lawson’s medical bag. Hank promptly took it and went back into Mr. Duchin’s guest room. When he came back out, everyone else followed to let Mr. Duchin get his rest. 

Mr. Jump gave his goodnight again and Boris was leading Hank back to his room when the doctor started laughing. Boris gave a surprised face, but Hank explained before he had the chance to ask, “Sorry, Boris. It’s not that I haven’t seen you out of a suit before, but I’ve never seen you with bedhead.” 

Boris merely raised his eyebrow and refrained from laughing along, his reply was a small smile and a, “Goodnight, Hank,” before turning away. 

He had never seen Hank in such a state either. Low hanging sleep pants and bare feet suited his doctor well. 

Although, Boris had to wonder how Hank was able to so easily get Mr. Duchin settled. It seemed that his doctor had practice dealing with soldiers, it seems that every day Hank likes to further complicate Boris’ puzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer are all REAL, AMAZING foundations. I have personally donated to St. Jude, St. Baldrick’s, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand and I have met real people who have come from each charity. I have also considered potentially working for Doctors Without Borders and I can personally guarantee you that if you do decide to donate to any of these organizations, your money would be going to a good place. 
> 
> Unlike some of the other popular medical charities. *cough* I’m looking at you American Cancer Society; with your founders getting paychecks of *cough* MILLIONS a year. Thanks for the 4% of your total money going to help children with cancer when 80% of your ADs have a child in them. 
> 
> I’m not trying to rant on here – but basically, if you give money to a charity, make sure you know where the money is going. Greed has taken over too much of the world.


End file.
